1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transfer material supporting member and an image forming device using this transfer material supporting member.
2. Related Background Art
Heretofore, as image forming devices, there have been various devices such as electrophotographic copiers and printers. In these image forming devices, a toner or an ink is transferred to a transfer material such as a recording paper or a plastic film to thereby achieve recording. In a recording step, a transfer material such as the recording paper or the plastic film is supported on a transfer material supporting member.
For example, in the electrophotographic device, the transfer material supporting member undergoes mechanical and electrical external forces in steps of the carriage of the transfer material, transfer charging, deelectrification, cleaning and the like, and therefore the transfer material supporting member is required to have durability to these external forces, i.e., various characteristics which are excellent in mechanical strength, wear resistance, electrical durability and lubricating properties to a cleaning member and the like.
Particularly in recent years, in order to further improve image quality, the so-called small diameter toner particles having a particle diameter of 10 .mu.m or less and an average particle diameter of about 8 .mu.m have been used as a developing agent. In consequence, conditions for cleaning the toner which adheres to the transfer material supporting member are required to be severer.
As the transfer material supporting member, resin films of Teflon, polyester, polyvinylidene fluoride, triacetate, polycarbonate and the like have been heretofore used, but in the conventional transfer material supporting member, a crack occurs on its surface sometimes owing to the adhesion of a machine oil or the above-mentioned mechanical or electrical external force. If the crack takes place in the transfer material supporting member, electrical properties in the cracked portion change, so that transfer nonuniformity (the nonuniformity of an amount of the transferred toner) and transfer defect (no transfer of the toner) tend to occur at the time of the transfer of the toner to the transfer material.